Billiard chalk-holder.



0. W. HARPER. BILLIARD CHALK HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1914.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

awuawto'a THE NOR-RV. PETERS co., F'HOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. c.

CHARLES W. HARPER, or RENO, NEVADA.

IBILLIABD CHALK-I-IOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Application filed March 28,1914. Serial No. 827,913.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. HARPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reno, in the county of Washoe and State of Nevada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billiard Chalk-Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved device for holding chalk such as is commonly used to chalk cues used in playing billiards or pool, and more particularly to a construction wherein the chalk is carried in a holder which is connected to a cord which in turn is connected to a spring actuated drum, the drum normally acting to maintain the cord wound thereon to thus support the chalk.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily attached to the wall or ceiling adjacent the game table'and so constructed that the casing carrying the drum may be readily detached, if for any reason access is desired to the drum.

A further object of invention is to pro vide a billiard chalk holder including a casing in which is mounted a spring actuated drum, the drum being mounted upona sup porting frame which may be readily removed from the casing to permit of repair.

The invention has as a further object to provide in a device of this character a simply constructed supporting frame for the drum and to also provide a casing simple in construction and so formed as to detachably engage the supporting frame of the V drum. And the invention has as a still further object to generally improve the construction and increase the eiiiciency of devices of the above described character.

With these and other objects in View my invention will'be more fully described illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the accompanying. drawings: Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of my improved chalk holder, Fig. .2 is a vertical sectional View of the holder particularly showing the disposition of the drum mounted therein, Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the casing and the cover therefor, the cover being shown removed from the casing but in proper relative position, Fig. 4c is a detail perspective view of the drumand its supporting frame, Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the chalk receptacle, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a modified form of casing, one side thereof being shown in dotted lines.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

My improved chalk holder is designed to support the chalk suspended near the game table, and may be attached to the ceiling of a room or to the wall as may be found most convenient. A casing 10 is employed which includes side walls 11, end walls 12 and a bottom wall 13. The casing 10 is preferably formed of wood and may be, of course, made any desired size, but is preferably rectangular in form as shown. The side walls 11 at their upper extremities extend beyond the adjacent upper edges of the end walls 12, and extending transversely between the said side walls is an attaching strip lei which extends at its extremities beyond the end walls 12 of the casing, and which is screwed or otherwise secured to a wall or ceiling. The

.side walls 11 of the casing are designed to snugly engage the side edges of the attaching-strip let to thus secure the casing to the attaching strip or if desired, hooks 15 may be employed for this purpose.

Mounted upon the casing is a covering 16, such covering being of a shape to conform to the shape of the vcasing and having its end walls cut away as shown at 17 tgo receive the attaching strip 14. The cove- 16 is primarily provided to give the casing an attractive appearance and for the further reason that in thus, employing the cover, it is rendered unnecessary to finish the exterior walls of the casing 10. The cover 16 may be made of paper or any other suitable ma terial and may be finished in imitation of wood or tiling.

Arranged within the casing 10 is a drum .18 which is rotatably mounted upon a supporting frame 19. The drum 18 may be formed of wood or any other suitable material and is bored to receive the shaft 20 of the supportmg frame. The supporting frame 19 is preferably formed from a length of suitable resilient wire, a portion of which forms the shaft 20, the wire being bent at one extremity of the shaft into substantially U-shape providing vertically. disposed supporting arms 21 and 22 which are connected by a base portion 23, the free extremity of the supporting arm 22 being disposed adjacent free extremity the shaft It.

i be removed from the supporting frame.

This is an especial feature of advantage in my invention in that in the event repairs are required, such repairs may be readily made.

' Mounted within the bore of the drum 18 and encircling the shaft20 is a helical spring 24, one'extremity 25 of which is secured to the adjacent end of the drum 18, the opposite end 26 of said spring being preferably secured to the arm 21 of the supporting frame adjacent the upper extremity thereof.

As above stated, the supporting frame 19 is designed to support the drum 18 within the casing 10, the side walls 11 of which are provided with oppositely disposed vertically extending grooves 27 designed to receive the vertically disposed arms 21 and 22 of the supporting frame, said grooves terminating adjacent the bottom wall 13 of the casing and providing shoulders 28 at their inner extremities which engage the base portion 23 of the frame. The supporting frame 19 is designed to have free vertical movement Within the grooves 27 so that the supporting frame carrying the drum 18 may be readily removed from the casing and to facilitate this operation, one end wall '12 of the casing is preferably apertured as shown at 29, through which the fingers may be inserted to engage the drum to force it-upwardly out of the casing.

Connected by one extremity to the drum 18 is a cord 30, such cord being normally maintained wound upon the drum by the spring 24.. In this connection it will be noted that the supporting frame is held in a stationary position by engagement within the grooves 27. The free extremity of the cord 30 is disposed to extend through the aperture 31 formed in the bottom Wall 13 of the casing, which wall is preferably formed with a concave exterior face in which the chalk receptacle 32, carried at the free extremity of the cord 30 is disposed to rest when held against the bottom wall of the casing, by the action of the drum 18. As will be obvious, the chalk carried in the receptacle 32 will thus be normally held against the bottom wall 13 of the casing 10 out of theway of the players. When it is desired to use the challgthe-receptacle may be grasped and pulled away from the casing, causing the cord 30 to unwind from the drum 18. Upon the release of the chalk, the drum 18 being actuated by the spring 2a will immediately rewind the cord 30 thereon thus bringing the chalk back to its original position. The chalk receptacle 32 is preferably formed of leather and includes a head 33 which is centrally apertured as at 3 k. Extending from itherhead33are pairs oppositely disposed tabs 35 and 36, the tabs 36 being longer than the tabs 35. ,The tabs 35 are brought together and are connected adjacent their extremities as by riveting. The loop thusformed is designed to receive the cube of chalk, the outer face of the chalk resting against the head 33 which is apertured to permit access to the chalk. The extremities of the tabs 36 are brought together over the extremities of the tabs 35 and are provided with apertures, the extremity of the cord 30 being threaded through said apertures, thus connecting the receptacle to the cord.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, I have illus-' trated a modified form of casing which is very similar in construction to the casing shown in the preferred form of the invention andincludes side walls 37, end walls 38,

and a bottom wall 39. Received between the upper extremities of the side walls is the attaching strip 40, the casing being supported by said strip in the same manner as above form of the invention. In thismodified described'with reference to the" preferred l form of the invention, a cover is also preferably employed, similar in construction'to the cover 16. One of the end walls 38 is formed in sections, the section 41 thereof being permanently securedlto the casing and being preferably provided with anupper inclined edge 42. The other section 43 of the said end wall, said section'being' shown in dotted;

lines, is detachably secured to the casing and is formed with a lower inclined edge arranged to contact with the'inclined edge 42 of the sectionll. The section 43' is of such length as'tobe frictionally engaged between the attaching strip 40 and the section 41 to 2 transversely extending oppositely disposed slots 44 which preferably extend the entire width of said side walls. Saidslotsare designed to receive the arms 21 and 22of the supporting frame 19, the transversely extending portion 23 of said frame abutting I against the rear wall 38 ofjthe' casing. The supporting frame and'the parts connected thereto, as employed in the modified form' of the invention is the sameas above described with referenceto the preferred form V of the invention, and a more detail explanation, at this point, is therefore unnecessary. However, it should be stated that the bottom wall 39 of the casing is provided with a suitable aperture through which "the cord 30 extends, the object of this modified form of the invention being to arrange the supporting frame 19 transversely within the casing.

From the foregoing description it will thus be seen that I provide a very simple structure for the purpose set forth which may be readily attached to or detached from position and which is so constructed as to be easily taken apart to permit repair. It will further be noted that I provide a very simply constructed supporting frame for the drum whereby the drum may be removed from the frame to further facilitate access to the working parts of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what is claimed as new:

1. A device of the character described including a support, a supporting frame detachably engaging the support, said frame being formed from a length of wire providing a shaft, the wire being bent laterally at one extremity of the shaft to provide a supporting arm and thence again bent to form a base portion, the free extremity of the wire being again bent to form a supporting arm oppositely disposed to said first mentioned arm, a spring actuated drum carried by said shaft, and flexible means normally wound upon the drum, said means extending exteriorly of the support.

2. A device of the character described including a casing, means for supporting the casing, said casing'including side and end walls and one bottom wall, one end wall being formed in sections, one of which is detachably'secured to the casing, said side walls having transversely extending slots formed therein, a supporting frame mounted in said slots, a spring actuated drum rotatably mounted upon the supporting frame and flexible means normally Wound upon the drum, said means extending exteriorly of the casing.

33. A device of the character described including a casing, a frame detachably mounted within the casing and having slidable connection therewith, said frame including a shaft having spaced arms operatively connected therewith, the said arms being joined by a connecting portion arranged to limit the movement of the frame within the casing, a spring actuated drum mounted upon the shaft between said arms, and flexible means normally wound upon the drum.

4. A device of the character described including a support having grooves formed therein, an integrally formed supporting frame provided with drum retaining arms connected by a base, said drum retaining arms being slidably mounted in said grooves to rest upon the base, a spring actuated drum mounted upon the frame between said arms, and flexible means normally wound upon the drum and extending exteriorly of I the support.

I11 testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES WV. HARPER. [1,. s.] Witnesses:

A. E. HAMMOND,

NIoK FRANCOVIOH.

copies of 1:111: patent nay be obtained to: he cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

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